


Promiseland

by Orimau5



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, M/M, VigilanteDiego, diego is a confused boyo, klaus and ben are heroes change my mind, lot of, necromancerKlaus
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:42:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25800796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Orimau5/pseuds/Orimau5
Summary: Klaus had grown into quite a strange man over the years. After escaping the mausoleum one dreadful ‘training' night, he ran and never looked back, leaving behind all the insecurities and fears he had concerning his family. The only part of the academy he refused to leave behind was Ben, who had been lingering around since his gruesome death after Klaus had mistakenly summoned him.________________Or an AU where there is no apocalypse and no one deals with Reginald anymore. Just adults who had traumatizing childhoods that grew up into damaged adults.
Relationships: Ben Hargreeves/Diego Hargreeves/Klaus Hargreeves, Ben Hargreeves/Klaus Hargreeves, Diego Hargreeves/Klaus Hargreeves, implied diego hargreeves/eudora patch
Comments: 5
Kudos: 88





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> straight up I just really wanted to write Klaus as a strong Necromancer and throw some Benkliego in there
> 
> The first chapter is kinda short but I'll be posting the second chapter soon and it's longer and from Diego's POV.

Klaus had grown into quite a strange man over the years. After escaping the mausoleum one dreadful ‘training' night, he ran and never looked back, leaving behind all the insecurities and fears he had concerning his family. The only part of the academy he refused to leave behind was Ben, who had been lingering around since his gruesome death after Klaus had mistakenly summoned him.

The ghost of his closest friend at the academy first appeared to him three months after the incident. Klaus had woken up from the usual, routine nightmares, only to see  a ghost ly blue Ben sat at the edge of his bed. The former academy student was quiet as he only watched Klaus sitting bewildered in his bed. 

When Ben offered his  ghostly hand, Klaus took it willingly, a comforting coldness washing over him. Ever since then, they had been together. Even when Klaus thought he was too fucked up to use his powers, Ben was loyally by his side. The poor soul watching his dearest friend spiral towards an inevitable rock bottom. 

But now, things were much different.  The thirty - year - old necromancer had spent so much  time on his own, controlling his powers while seeing the grotesque world he had been placed in. One with death around every corner, trailing  along in front of him as a guide to the causes of the innocent souls  trapped in limbo. 

Klaus took it as a notion to better the  world, since it was  nearly impossible to better himself. So, he  learned to use his powers to justify and avenge as many souls as he could,  listening to their heartbreaking stories and learning of the suspects who never faced the judgement of careless murder. 

Although Klaus would never admit it, Ben was more of a hero than him.  He was the first one to start helping  the l ost souls, trying to guide them home or make them feel at peace.  He had damn near threatened Klaus to help them. 

“ _ You’re the only one who  _ can  _ help them, Klaus. _ ”

That’s how their backwards, soul-saving lives began. Using ghosts to give murderers a taste of their own medicine. 

Klaus scanned the room he and Ben had been  lingering in for the past  hour .  Although he was technically standing  in the middle of a supernatural murder scene, a slight smile formed on his lips. 

“ _ Man, that was fast.”  _ Ben said, sounding impressed as he looked over to the wiry brunette man. 

Klaus chuckled as he took a few steps around the room, swiping an opened pack of cigarettes from the living room coffee table and shoving them into the inner pocket of his black fur coat. Those ladies sure did tear into him. 

The man that  _ used  _ to live here was  lying face down in a puddle of his own blood in the middle of the living  room, being gnawed and slashed to death.  There  hadn’t been much of a fight, just confusion  and agitation as the lanky  brunette had  broken the window in and announced his arrival like the luxurious queen he was.  Then he had  summoned  the  many  spirits  to  get their revenge on the man who had  taken them from their  familie s to torture for a few trophy items and a god complex.

Solidifying  ghostly bodies to watch them tear apart their predators and murderers made Klaus feel pride. They got confrontation and closure with their real hands. And teeth. That was Klaus's least favorite part.  Yeah , he knew ghosts were  pretty harmless since they  couldn’t do much physical damage, but making their apparitions real and stronger gave their rage more to run on. He  didn’t expect them to act like zombies, using teeth and nails. Although, it  wasn’t like he could give them weapons, and being in limbo does things to the human soul. Like what the many nights being locked in the mausoleum did you Klaus.

But he also wished for that closure. The thought of wrapping his hands around Reginald's throat had crossed his mind more than  he’d like to admit. He had thought about going back just for that. To confront his ‘father’ about the way he had raised them. How he had abused them. Klaus had never seen it that way when he was younger, but Ben and many of the ghosts had opened his eyes up to the reality: Reginald  Hargreeves had tortured him and  all of his siblings to create his perfect ‘heroes ’. The man deserved death. 

“ _ Klaus _ _ , we need to go.”  _ Ben said, drawing Klaus’ s attention away from the body he  hadn’t realized he had been staring at as he thought. 

“Yeah.” The necromancer  agreed quietly . He took one last look of the bloody room , flinging his faded and worn feather boa over his shoulder  before exiting the way he came in.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diego thinking about his life and trying to solve the gnarly murder scene he stumbled upon.

Diego stared in disbelief at the sight before him. A man torn apart in his own home.  Real bloody mess, too. Looking at the body was like looking at a bear  mauling , strangely blunt claw marks dragged deeply across skin, the large chunks of flesh that had been  _ bitten  _ off (but not eaten), and the bruises around his throat. But this was a murder. It was almost worse to imagine a human breaking in to ferociously attack this man,  possibly from hardcore drugs or some wicked illness, like possession or something. 

The leather clad vigilante had arrived before the  cops , something Diego was thankful for. He had been heading home to the gym where he lived when he noticed the broken window, just a few blocks down the road.

There was an immediate feeling of rage as he had slammed on the breaks. How could this happen so close to where he lived? Why hadn’t he noticed this sooner? Was it like that when he been heading to visit Luther and Allison? God,  he’d been gone for hours. Of course, tonight had been the night they had a long talk about Mr. Hargreeves. It wasn't like any of them actually cared about the old man anymore. Because of him, their childhoods had been a constant stage of fear and torture, not even Luther stayed with Reginald after Klaus left.

Five and Vanya disappearing  when they were 13 was  difficult to process,  leaving them all anxious and fearful. Then Ben , l osing his life at 16 , turned their lives upside down , realizing how unimportant they were to Reginald . 

They  should’ve tried  leaving then, but they  didn’t . Now that Diego  thinks about it, it was  probably the fear that no one could handle them and their powers. They were just teenagers with superpowers and hardly any social lives outside of the academy. They  didn’t understand how to live on their own.  Shit, that sounded pathetic . But when Klaus left a year  later , they  couldn’t handle it anymore. 

Four had been the last bit of sunshine in the manor , after Vanya and Ben were gone.  He had made just the right amount of absurd jokes to keep them smiling at least once a week , making  life just a little bit bearable . At least for Diego, he did. But when he was also gone, the  last three of the Umbrella Academy  crumbled .  There was no more sunshine, no more  jokes after training, or  hope for the next day. 

That’s when  Luther finally stood up to Reginald ,  disrupting the old man’s research to announce they were leaving .  Diego  and Allison stood by his side ; their belongings packed up in suitcases.  It had honestly been the scariest day of Number Two’s life.  The sheer look of anger on the man’s face. 

It  hadn’t ended well. They had all been threatened. Luther to be sent to the fucking moon, which was insane to do to a seventeen-year-old kid who you already almost killed and ruined his human body with ape DNA. Taking away Allison’s voice altogether. She had been even more terrified than Diego, unable to whisper as she stood with her things. 

Diego  couldn’t stand  that.  He stood in front of her quickly. “ You aren’t going to do shit , old man. ”

It had been his own fault for underestimating Reginald  Hargreeves .  Cocky and stupid to throw one of his blades at the man, only for it to be thrown back at him . He never knew how it happened. How  with a flick of his wrist, his father sent the blade  slicing across Diego’s temple ? It was so quick. 

And then Grace. 

Diego had always thought they had the best mom. But that day she stood with them. Appearing behind them through the  study  doors ,  she kept a fierce  scowl on her features, one  that he had never seen before. He  didn’t even know she could make that face. 

“That is enough!” She  spoke  sternly , but with respect . “Reginald, sir,  Eleanor would be  ashamed with what you have done. Allow them to leave. Immediately.”

For once in his life, Diego watched  a look of absolute  pain wash across his  father's face. Who was Eleanor ? Obviously , someone close to him by the looks of it. 

Reginald’s  body seemed to  droop as he s lowly stood . He  looked at Grace for a few moments, before  looking at what was left of the Umbrella Academy. “Go.”

His voice sounded hollow and  pained . It was all he said before  leaving the room quietly , leaving them  in a bit of shock. 

That was the moment they got control over their own lives. Luther became a firefighter and Allison started working as a law firm secretary; they even got a nice apartment together. It was wild, seeing them turn into adults together. Diego was proud of them, but even happier to get to be involved in their lives. He was always invited to holiday events and family dinners. Sometimes it even felt like they were a real family, despite the many large holes that had been left in their lives. 

Diego moved into the gym’s spare room and  competed in fights for  his income. But  he still caught the bad guys at night, usually  taking matters into his own hands depending  on  the crime. Stealing someone’s purse,  they’ll be found tied up in the precinct parking lot with a  note .  Murder, however, will be  handled with murder. 

But  _ this _ __ murder . It was wild and  nearly impossible to understand what went on .

Diego stepped over the body . Although the man seemed like an innocent victim,  the ex - detective could feel something was off. He made his way to the broken window where the suspect came in through,  glass broken clumsily.  Very unprofessional .

Two had lived in this area for  nearly a decade and never talked to the man. He had heard small talk around the neighborhood  and bars about the man who lived here .  A sal esman named Kevin Grey, not a friendly guy.  Some of the people  wouldn’t even talk about why no one liked him. 

After a half hour of looking for prints or murder weapons, Diego was at a loss. The only thing he found was a faux pink feather near the body, like the kind used for those feather boas.  Very familiar to him. 

Klaus crossed Diego’s mind. The lanky academy student who was known for his wild fashion. Always feathers, fishnets and leather with that guy. 

__ Wow, how long had it been since he had seen him? Fourteen years? God.

Before Diego can  delve deeper into his thoughts, sirens  whir to life a few blocks down the road. He had made sure to be careful during his not-so-legal investigation – wearing gloves, avoiding stepping in blood. He knew what the police were going to be looking for. That  short time on the force came in handy for the night shifted vigilante.

“Shit.” Diego  muttered as he stuffed the pink feather into his pocket and gracefully slid through the broken window. As soon as his feet hit the ground, he was darting for his horribly parked car a couple houses down.

The engine roared to life and he was quickly speeding down the empty streets to the gym. He even pulled around back through the alleyway just to be safe, waiting in his car to see if the sirens came closer. When they eventually died down after a few minutes, Diego slunk through the back door, making a bee line for his room. 

That was  a close call . He  didn’t get hardly any evidence, but he  wouldn’t give up that easily. First thing in the morning he would set out to get more information on the situation. 

Which  would’ve been a lot easier if Diego had slept well, but all night he dreamed of the academy. Them running around the manor getting ready for a mission. Little jokes by Klaus here and there throughout the dream. And sometimes Ben, standing by his lonesome during every scene.

It was enough to have him awake at 2 A.M. texting Allison, looking for comfort about their childhood trauma. His life saving sister, of course, was awake and ready for the emotional conversation. She had become skillful in juggling Diego and Luther’s emotional problems, being the rock of their adult lives. 

Allison became the older sister Diego  hadn’t known he needed, handling his  temper and guiding him with support and confidence. She really believed in them and their growth out of the  Hargreeves house. But would no longer stand for the childish bickering and mocking Diego and Luther had been practically raised doing every day. It was one of the first arrangements she made during their first Christmas together. ‘ _ Play nice, _ ’ she had said with a threat in her voice. Diego  doesn’t remember much of that day and to be honest, he  wasn’t sure him or Luther made it out of there without being rumored. But if it meant smooth sailing with the few of what he considered family he had  left; he would take it. 

Diego knew he needed them, far more than he needed anything else. So many years fighting just to protect each other just so they could survive. After losing so many of them, he  couldn’t lose anymore. It hurt just to think about it.

So, when Allison finally had to go to bed so she  wouldn’t be too tired during her lunch date with Luther the next day, Diego felt torn. A part of him loved how simple that sounded, them going on a date like normal people do on a sunny Saturday. No training, or lessons. Not even a  possible villain out there looking for them. Just a nice date between two people.

But it also hurt, the silence left after her voice was gone was dense and unsettling.  Diego had already admitted to himself  that he had become severely lonely. Especially after Eudora's  death. Even after five years  it still bothered him. 

It  hadn’t been his fault, he knew that. A wrong place at the wrong time  with an active shooter. But he  would’ve given anything for it to have been him , lying in the ground with the hole in his chest. It  should’ve been him. 

Diego  shook the thoughts and memories from his head as he  made his way to his mini fridge.  He fixed himself a glass of whiskey, something to calm the nerves, before sitting back down on his bed. 

By the time  he finished his glass and calmed down, it was time to go about town with questions.  He had been thinking of a  strategy  plan  before bed,  one that  wouldn’t be obvious as to what he was doing. 

Two figured  it’d be easiest to start with his neighbors, trying to get  at least  get a clue as to what happened. He figured that would be his best shot, unless he  wanted to just ask around the whole town about Kevin  Grey.

So, when the sun rose, Diego snagged a quick shower, a toa ster  w affle breakfast, and headed out to greet his neighbors. 

Most had heard about the tragedy from the news, the house still taped off from the public down the road. Very few had any  real information , so he got pulled into gossipy conversations quite a bit. He would keep his  well-behaved smile as they talked, but he was quick to  come up with an excuse to leave. 

By the time he got to the last house it was  nearly noon and his patience had been  threaded thin. He knocked on the door,  probably too close to how  police would.

The door cracked open after the sound of many locks being undone sounded on the other side . All that Diego could see was  an anxious blue eye peering out at him. Just like usual.

“Afternoon, Elliott.” Diego  spoke  softly,  glancing down the block to where the police cars were still parked. “Mind if we chat?”

Elliot was  secretly Diego’s go-to guy, the older man helping him since he moved into the gym. He  didn’t know whether it was because Diego  fought crime in their neighborhood, or if it  was because he was the only one who would listen to the  cryptic topics Elliot enjoyed ranting about.  But their friendship worked out. 

“Oh, you have no idea.”  Elliott ’s voice shook as he closed the  door and unlocked the final chain locks. Soon he was swinging the door open and ushering  Diego into his cluttered home. 

Although, Elliott was  easily excited and wiry,  his paranoid knack for silently watching the neighborhood had come in handy .  Diego trusted him more than most around here aside from his siblings. The guy was weird but he was smart and loyal. He valued someone like Diego, taking on the vigilante night life to make sure those around could sleep easy. 

“Have you seen it? The murder?” Ellio t t practically stalked around the room, watching Diego with intense eyes. “It was weird, Diego.”

Diego nodded, rubbing at his eyes. “I know. Seen it last night. Not long after it happened. Been asking everyone since this morning if they  see anything, but no luck.”

“Why?”  Elliott threw his hands into  the air wildly. “You know you should come to me first.  _ I _ have the info.”

“I know, man, but more point of views help . I mean, not in this case, but-" Diego was interrupted by Elliot  stomping to his living room, quickly returning with a photo.

“No, dumbass. I  _ have  _ the suspect.” Elliot grumbled as he handed over the picture. “Seen him last night in Mr. Grey's back yard. Doing a lot of talking to himself. My alleyway camera caught it around 10:33 P.M. last night.”

Diego nearly ripped the picture from Elliot t’ s hands , pulling it close his face.

“God damnit.” Diego cursed, staring at the photo. A picture of his  long-lost friend in a black fur coat, leather leggings, and pink feather boa wrapped around his shoulders, gripped tightly in his hands. He was standing a few feet from the window that had been broken into and it made Diego’s stomach flop. “Klaus.”

“You know him?” Elliot t asked, looking at the photo over Diego’s shoulder.

Diego quickly folded it and shoved it into his jacket pocket. “Yeah. We went to school together.”

Elliott  immediately took a few cautious steps back. “Your classmate did that to Kevin?”

Diego froze, staring back at his friend.  He  didn’t think Klaus was capable of murder, let alone such a gruesome one. Was he?

Growing up, Klaus has been isolated  almost as much as Vanya did. Except instead of playing violin, he was fighting off traumatizing ghosts. All by himself, in a century-old crypt with angry spirits. 

Diego  didn’t know the full extent of Klaus’s training , none of the kids did, but when Klaus would shake and cry  and  _ beg _ before disappearing for hours ,  even  _ days _ ,  they all expected the worst.  Whatever it was, they could tell it was killing Four. 

And they  didn’t do anything about it. No one stood by him or tried to protect him.  He was alone most of their childhood. 

Diego could feel his teeth gritting as he finally spoke. “No. Klaus would never do something like this.”

“What are you going to do then?” Elliot t  placed a hand on his hip as he scratched his forehead with the other hand. 

“I’ll find him.” Diego said as he headed for the front door.  He  wasn’t sure how easy it would be, but he figured Klaus  didn’t go far.  Probably hiding out at a crack house or  something. 

Elliott wished him luck on his way out and pointed him in the direction he thought Klaus might have headed  in .

But it  didn’t stop the mixed emotions he was feeling. It had been fourteen  years since he last seen Klaus.  Fourteen fucking years since he knew he was at least alive.  And now there was proof he was.  But what had happened? Would he be able to  find him? What if Klaus was the murderer?  Would he take him out like he had the last few  psychopaths  he had come across?

Would Diego be  _ able  _ to take Klaus out?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yo it's a Ben chapter!!  
> Boys living like raccoons and having heart eyes for each other!

Ben watched as Klaus slept, curled up in the front seat of a long-ago abandoned truck, black fur coat wrapped tightly around his lithe body. The necromancer always slept a lot after a night like that. Giving that much of his power to the souls drained him, too tired to eat or drink,  too tired to even get high.  And he had already been exhausted  after helping the ghosts from earlier in the week. 

Ben  _ hated  _ it. He had seen his  dear, corrupted  friend go through so much over the years, from hard drugs that left him waking up in strange places to ghosts forcing their emotions and memories into the poor man’s mind.

Fuck’s sake, Klaus had even been possessed a few times by stronger spirits, ones who made him do terrible things to innocent people. Ben, of course, was always by his side to fight. Always doing whatever it took to stop the spirits, tearing them out of Klaus’s body with  the Horror still trapped to his soul . Once Klaus had resulted to suicide, something only Four could survive from with his powers. But it had been something they  had promised to never let happen again. 

Ben grimaced as an image of Klaus holding a knife to his own throat forced its way into the ghost’s mind.  It had been a couple years since it had happened, but Klaus never truly acted the same afterwards , feeling more anger  than he usually did . He had become bitter to a lot of things ,  love and affection being some of them.  Not having many people around for so long didn’t help either. 

He watched as Klaus mumbled something in his sleep and rolled over. A part of him wished they were back  at the academy with their friends , but he  _ kn _ _ ew _ __ they never would’ve even tried helping Klaus , or try to understand him.  He would’ve been left all alone with no escape, no one to lean on. Yeah, he was probably just as alone out here as he would be at home, but he never would’ve gained control over his powers like  _ this _ . Being able to sleep  so soundly  without terrors or drugs.  He still would’ve been locked in that damn crypt  if they hadn’t  left. 

The ghost watched as the evening sun began to set. Klaus had slept nearly sixteen hours since they got to their safe place to rest. It was always this pickup truck, left to rot years ago, that they called home.

Thankfully the owner of the junkyard, a man in his  7 0s named Vinny, didn’t mind the odd , tattooed man crashing in the truck. Ben could tell the older man had a soft spot for Klaus, treating him almost as if he was a lost stray. Every once in a while, he would bring him leftovers from breakfast with his family, or leave coats and socks out during cold nights. He never treated Klaus like most people did, giving weird looks when the lanky man would talk to himself, or mock him during his inevitable breakdowns. 

At first, Vinny had completely understood when the quiet and shaking man quickly fled after being discovered sleeping in the bed of one of the pickup trucks. Ben had noticed the concern on the old man’s features and watched as the man  disappeared into the shop before returning with a sack he placed in the front seat . When Ben had convinced Klaus  to go back to see what it was , they found a few bottles of water and some snacks. Over time Klaus slowly began to trust him, even enough to chit chat with Vinny when he opened the  junkyard early in the mornings. Which was a lot for Klaus.

They didn’t talk about much, Klaus  being shy and nervous around  the  stranger, but  Vinny never pushed about where he was from or why he lived on the streets.  He would only ask if Klaus was doing ok or if he needed anything. Sometimes letting him know when storms were going to  get bad, telling him there’d be towels in the truck in case he got  caught in it. 

Ben could tell it warmed Klaus’s damaged heart, never asking for more than to sleep in the vehicle. The ghost  could s ee the way  he would smile like a kid  again, bright green eyes  shining as he grinned.  He knew Klaus felt safe here.  Safe enough to sleep peacefully , even in an old truck.

They did a lot of traveling when it came to helping ghosts,  sometimes being gone for weeks,  but they always returned to that  spot . Although Ben felt that it was very depressing that  they basically lived in a beat-up truck, Klaus always said it made him feel ‘free’, like the hippie he was meant to be . Ben would just laugh. 

“ No …” Klaus  whispered in his sleep. “ I need peaches .”

“ _ Klaus? _ ” Ben said gently tapping at  the sleeping man’s leg,  his bond with Klaus making hi m a  strong enough  spirit  to physically touch him . “ _ Take a break from sleeping _ _ , man. _ ”

Ben didn’t want to sound  impatient, but he didn’t much care for sitting by himself. And he didn’t regret it when  hazy green  eyes opened to meet his own, a sleepy smile forming on Klaus’s  lips.

“Oh, Ben!” Klaus said with a groggy voice,  leaning forward to sit on the leather seats and stretching his arms up . “I  already feel  better. That  was beauty sleep fit for a queen, don’t  ya think? I could’ve slept like that all day .”

Ben smiled from the  driver's seat . “ _ You  _ did  _ sleep like that all _ _ day _ _.” _

Klaus grinned sheepishly, covering his face as he laughed. His kohl smeared eyes peeked through his fingers at a Ben, who was trying not to smile.

“C’mon, it was well deserved.” Klaus leaned onto the passenger door, sighing as he looked up to the heavens. “We saved five souls last night, and three the day before. I think we’re finally getting the hang of this. ”

Ben couldn’t help grin at Klaus’s genuine positive attitude. And he could feel how real it was because he was right. They were getting good at this ,  helping spirits  that life gave up on. 

“ _ You’re right. _ _ ”  _ Ben leaned against the wheel.  “ _ But you’ve  _ _ gone _ _ way  _ _ past your usual limit with your powers.  _ _ That’s a lot on your body, man. You need to get nutrients in _ _ your system or you wont be able to get stronger. _ _ ” _

Klaus  sighed heavily but  move d to  r each in the  floorboard  where a sack of snacks laid.  “ Yeah, yeah. I know .”

Ben gave him a  sterner look, which Klaus ignored as he fished out a small bag of chips. 

“ _ You should probably eat  _ real  _ food, you know _ _? _ _ ”  _ Ben  grumbled watching as Klaus  sh oved a few chips  into his mouth. 

“Hey,” Four spoke around his mouthful of salty  junkfood , “one thing at a time.”

The ghost only rolled his eyes . N agging  the scrawny man more about his eating habits had become a daily job for him.  It was hard enough trying to get Klaus to eat real food, let alone eat at all . But Ben knew enough  not to push it too much.  And he had learned a while ago, that the easiest way to get Klaus to eat was when Ben was  allowed  his  weekly  possession  privileges .  Which was a win-win for them both. Klaus finally eating healthy, and Ben  eating all the foods he missed , plus new ones. 

Just as Klaus finished his bag of chips, they  suddenly  heard Vinny’s familiar voice call out. “Klaus?  There’s a man here to see you. ”

Red flags set off in both their heads as they shared an equally surprised look to each other.  What man ? No one should’ve known where they were right now.  Did he ask for Klaus by name ?  Because  he had changed that a long time ago, and  the only people who knew him as a  Hargeeves was the rest of the students. 

“ Shit, who is it?” Klaus asked frantically as he slid further down in the seat , trying to hide himself. “I’m on like  five shit lists  right now.”

Ben turned to look out the back glass, invisible to anyone looking.  He could see Vinny standing by the junkyard shop, watching the truck for movement with his hands in his overall pockets . Standing next to him  was a man  wearing a dark  leather  jacket , with long dark hair pulled back into a low ponytail and a scar along his right temple. 

“ _ Dude _ .” Ben’s voice barely came out a whisper as he began to recognize the stranger.  “ _ It’s Diego.” _

Klaus sat silently, hunkered down in the passenger seat , a look of worry of his features.

“ _ Klaus?”  _ Ben leaned over , placing a hand  on Klaus’s shoulder. He was met with teary green eyes looking up at him and a fearful  expression. 

“What do we do? Why is he here?”  Four asked frantically , grabbing onto Ben’s hoodie. “How did he know we were here?”

Ben  was quiet as he thought of something reassuring to say, but nothing he thought of seemed to be comforting enough. “ _ Let’s just talk to him. Maybe  _ _ he just wants to see  _ _ how you’re doing?” _

__ Klaus gives Ben a skeptical glare before groaning loudly. “ But what if he tries to take me back  to the academy?”

“ _ Klaus _ ,” Ben  said, cocking his head to the side. “ _ no one has been able to stop you yet. Do you really think  _ _ Two will be that  _ _ person _ ?”

Klaus stared blankly at the ghost for a minute.  Ben had a point.  A few people  would  usually  come  after him if he  ended up  target ing  a more  well-known person involved in crimes. They had learned their lesson about those kind of situations, avoiding mafias and the FBI.  That was too much for them to handle.  But Diego  wasn’t no where near as dangerous as those guys. 

“ _ Just _ _ see what he wants.”  _ Ben suggested, leaning up to watch as the two men approached  the truck. 

Klaus took in a few deep breaths, not knowing if he was ready for this.  To see Diego, all grown up, and possibly there to fight him . But he also knew he wasn’t the weak one anymore either.  The playing field had evened,  i f  Klaus thought so himself. 

“ Okay. Fine.” He finally said, preparing himself to open the  rusted door.


End file.
